The present invention relates to an infant warming apparatus and, more particularly, to an apparatus for providing the combined functions of an infant incubator and an infant warmer and which includes a radiant heater contained within a housing.
There are, of course, many devices or apparatus for the warming of an infant and to supply the necessary heat to maintain the infant at a predetermined temperature. Of the various apparatus, there are infant warmers that are basically planar surfaces on which the infant is positioned and which planar surfaces generally include side guards to keep the infant safely within the confines of the apparatus. Infant warmers normally have an overhead radiant heater that is located above the infant and which thus radiates energy in the infrared spectrum to impinge upon the infant to maintain the infant at a warm, predetermined temperature. Since the infant is otherwise totally exposed to the surroundings, there is almost unlimited access to the infant by the attending personnel to perform various procedures on that infant. At typical infant warmer is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,474,517 of Falk et al as prior art to that patent.
There are also infant incubators and which are more confined enclosures that contain the infant within an enclosed controlled atmosphere in an infant compartment that provides heat to the infant and also may provide control of humidity in the enclosed environment. Such incubators maintain the infant for long periods of time and include handholes to access the infant. Generally, there is, in addition, a larger access door that can be opened to access the infant or to insert or remove the infant to and from the incubator. Such devices provide a good atmosphere to the infant and control that local environment within which the infant is located, however, it is sometime difficult to perform a wide variety of procedures on the infant due to the somewhat limited access to that infant. A typical infant incubator is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,824 of Koch et al.
At the present, there are also certain infant care apparatus that combine the functions of an infant warmer and an incubator. One such apparatus is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,570 of Beld et al where an overhead canopy or dome is movable between a position where it covers the base to form an environmental chamber and an upper position where the radiant energy is directed toward the infant but the environmental chamber is open to access the infant by the attending personnel. Accordingly, there is a means of lifting the dome between the various vertical positions. In the Beld et al patent, the dome is balanced with respect to its weight by a plurality of springs, however the dome itself can be moved only by manually lifting and lowering the dome. As such, therefore, although manual lifting is a viable operation for domes in such infant care apparatus, it would be preferable to have an automated mechanism that can raise and lower the dome without a user physically causing the movement of the dome.
Similarly, in Donnelly et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,077, there is an upper canopy that can be raised and lowered, however, the description only refers to a piston and a cylinder that is powered by a motor and does not provide a detailed description of how the mechanism operates. It is believed that in the event of a power failure, the canopy of Donnelly et al would be fixed in the particular position when the power failure occurred as there is no specific mechanism noted that would allow the canopy to be moved if the motor were inoperative.
It is preferred that the overhead canopy or hood structure be supported by a pair of vertical frame members so that the unit is rigid and can be supported by at least two areas for support of the canopy. In such instances, in order to raise and lower the canopy or other structure, various mechanisms have been used, including the use of a motor in each of the vertical frame members. Unfortunately, the two motors have to be very precisely coordinated so as to make sure they both raise each vertical frame member exactly simultaneously and at the same rate of speed to prevent binding when one member is elevated or lowered at a different rate. The use of multiple motors and the consequent synchronization of the motors is, therefore, relatively expensive, complicated and subject to difficulties in operation.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous in such apparatus to provide a lifting mechanism that can be easily powered by a standard, inexpensive singular motor to raise and lower the canopy. It would be further advantageous for the canopy to be supported by a plurality of vertical frame members for enhanced stability and yet be able to be raised and lowered without resort to expensive motors and precise control between the motors.
In addition, it would be advantageous, particularly with infant care equipment, if the raising and lowering of the canopy be performed automatically and not manually, be stable in the event of a power failure to the motive means and yet also have the capability of manually moving the canopy in the event of that power failure.